Audit finds Rs17 billion irregularities in Sindh education dept

ISLAMABAD: An audit report has found Rs 17 billion in irregularities in the Sindh Education and Literacy Department.

It has been revealed that Rs9 billion has been embezzled from the government treasury by presenting fake registrations of thousands of students.

The Sindh Education Foundation and the Sindh Education Department failed to provide records of the registrations and schools of thousands of students who were receiving government funds.

The audit team obtained a report from the investigation team, which also highlighted over Rs1.1 billion in irregularities related to the purchase of items intended for use in schools and colleges.

Furthermore, the audit team noted that records for purchases amounting to millions of rupees were not presented.

The report mentioned irregularities totalling Rs1 billion in expenses that were misrepresented as investments by the administration of educational institutions.

Allegations of embezzlement involving millions of rupees in funds were found in several cadet colleges and educational institutions, according to the report.

Additionally, the report uncovered irregularities in the payment of Rs2 billion that was allocated for student scholarships.

Read more: Punjab govt decides to grant ‘conditional permission’ for PTI rally

The observations of the audit team have not yet been thoroughly discussed in the departmental audit committee, according to a spokesperson for the Sindh Education Foundation.

“It is a standard procedure for audit observations to be presented to the committee first and then formally reviewed,” the spokesperson stated.

The Foundation has always made payments in accordance with rules and regulations, and there are no irregularities in this process, the spokesperson added.

The Sindh Education Foundation maintains individual profiles for all students and teachers studying in its schools, the spokesperson noted.

The monitoring team of the Foundation verifies the data by visiting all schools, the spokesperson said.

Under the monitoring system of the Foundation, data from all schools is collected on a continuous basis, and payments are only made after verifying this data, the spokesperson concluded.